Auroral Current and Electrodynamics Structure Mission

On the 29th January, 2009, scientists from the University of Alaska's Poker Flat Research Range, Skiland, Alaska, launched a pair of rockets to study auroras.A two-stage Black Brant IX rocket was launched at 12:49 a.m. and reached an altitude of more than 226 miles. The rocket flew for just under 10 minutes. At 12:50 a.m., a single-stage Black Brant V was launched, reaching an altitude of nearly 83 vertical miles, flying for roughly eight minutes.Rockets are launched several times each year from the Poker Flat facility.